SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
In Zambia, the digital divide tells a broader story of exclusion. National networks continue to grow, but communities outside urban centers are often left at the margins of digital society and the modern economy. Women, young people, and older generations frequently feel this disconnect most acutely.
04 February 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
Over the past four years, the United Volunteering Platform has operated at a global scale, responding to continuous demand, evolving requirements, and operational challenges. Through it all, the platform has remained steady—adapting, improving, and growing stronger with every upgrade and every piece of feedback.
02 February 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
A safety net and network multiplier
30 January 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
I work at the intersection of systems, people, and uncertainty. In a nutshell, that means working behind the scenes to support the recruitment of UN Volunteers across more than 30 countries, including in emergency contexts such as Ukraine. I see firsthand how automation is reshaping the way we work and how quietly many of us wonder: What will my role be when machines can do what humans once did?
28 January 2026
Europe and Central Asia
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
This framework arrives at exactly the right time. The year 2026 has been declared the International Volunteer Year, a rare global spotlight on volunteerism. The strategy also spans the final stretch toward 2030—a period defined by the need to turn commitments into measurable results. UN Volunteers are uniquely placed to scale what works and help bridge what remains unfinished.
19 January 2026
Global
Article
Consolidation, not reinvention: The choice is to build on what works, not start over. The last two Strategic Frameworks (2022-2025 and 2018-2021) expanded UNV’s reach. Volunteer numbers more than doubled. Gender balance was achieved.
19 January 2026
Basic Page
Outcome 1: The efforts of Member States to deliver on the 2030 Agenda are supported through volunteerism as an effective means of implementation and people engagement.
Outcome 2: The United Nations system is supported to deliver on the 2030 Agenda through the engagement of UN-Volunteers and the integration of volunteerism.
Institutional effectiveness: making UNV fit for purpose.
05 February 2018
Basic Page
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
In his opening statement, Mr Tegegnework Gettu, UNDP Associate Administrator, stated that volunteerism was strongly linked to the SDGs, as it was a cross-cutting issue. He emphasized that UNV – through this new SF – would help UNDP deliver on the 2030 Agenda. Mr Gettu noted that he was thoroughly impressed by the UN Volunteers that he had met in the field (read his full remarks.)
25 January 2018
Global
Article
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Remarks by Olivier Adam, UNV Executive Coordinator, on the occasion of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board
- Agenda Item 5: United Nations Volunteers, UNV Strategic Framework, 2018-2021.
New York, 24 January 2018.
Thank you, Mr. Associate Administrator, for your introductory remarks. I am grateful to you and the Administrator for your leadership, and your strong support to volunteers, volunteerism and UNV.
Mr. President,
25 January 2018
News
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
“The UN could not deploy, and Security Council mandates could not be delivered, without UN Volunteers,” said Olivier Adam, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme Executive Coordinator, recounting UNV’s value proposition in the words of UN partners, the Department of Field Support (DFS) and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), as he led a side event to the meeting of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations
03 February 2017
Global
Article